title: Prevalence and predictors of pain in patients with major depressive disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pain is common in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This paper aimed to determine the prevalence of and examine the predictors of pain in patients with MDD.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted at a university hospital. The prevalence of pain in adult outpatients with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition MDD was compared with that in a matched age and sex control group of general patients in the waiting area within the hospital. Depression and pain were measured using the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and a 10-point rating scale for pain (RSP) (from no pain at all to the most severe pain), respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty MDD and 40 general patients with matched age and sex (controls) participated in this study. Compared with the control group (47.5%), 95% of MDD patients had pain (p<0.001). The RSP scores of MDD patients were significantly higher than those of the controls (p<0.001). The mean number of pain locations was also significantly larger than in the MDD patients (p<0.001). Among the 11 male and 29 female patients with MDD, the multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the HAM-D score and history of sexual assault were significant predictors of pain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present findings suggest that, compared with general patients, individuals with MDD have more pain in terms of the prevalence, severity, and number of locations. Severe depression and history of sexual assault are predictors of pain in MDD patients. Pain and depression are highly correlated and should be taken into account in individuals with these symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
authors.forename: Narong
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maneeton
authors.forename: Benchalak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maneeton
authors.forename: Manit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Srisurapanont
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index